At GLSN, we’ve always believed that the spaces where we learn are just as important as what we learn. To kick off the very first episode of the GLSN Podcast, our host Akshay Bajaj sat down with someone who doesn’t just build schools – he breathes soul into them: Architect Pankaj Vir Gupta, co-founder of Vir.Mueller Architects.
Ar. Pankaj doesn’t follow trends; he finds them “fatuous” and ephemeral. Instead, he looks to nature for the ultimate blueprint. In the episode, he shares a vision that stopped us in our tracks:
“My vision of a perfect learning space is a beautiful large banyan tree with prop roots coming down at various intervals creating a large open space filled with shade and dappled sunlight under which students are sitting with their teachers. It is so simple and yet so timeless that no architecture can even come close.”
We dove into how this philosophy shaped the Healthy Planet School, conceptualised as a “cocoon” for early learners where windows sit just 2 feet off the ground to match a child’s eye level. We explored the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) at Ahmedabad University, where stairs are the “protagonists” and clever designs cut the air conditioning load by half.
From the University of Chicago Center in Delhi to the Museum for Humayun’s Tomb, Ar. Pankaj explains why he uses honest materials like exposed brick and timber instead of paints or glues that “off-gas” harmful chemicals.
Whether you are an educator, school owner, architect, or policymaker, this conversation is a reminder that great spaces require “utmost honesty”. It’s a masterclass in how light, scale, and simplicity can elevate the human experience.
We invite you to lean in and listen. There is a depth here that we believe will change how you look at the four walls around you.
Enjoy this first episode of the GLSN Podcast on Spotify and YouTube.
A Note from GLSN
At the Global Learning Space Network, we curate globally relevant conversations on educational architecture, learning spaces, and education design. Learning Spaces Unboxed reflects this mission by amplifying voices that meaningfully contribute to the future of learning environments.
If you are an architect, educator, researcher, or policymaker working in the domain of learning spaces and believe your work can add value to this discourse, we invite you to write to us.
Potential guests may nominate their profile to us with their credentials and body of work for review. Following evaluation, selected contributors will be contacted by our team to be featured on the Podcast.